Opinion: Of Puritans and pints

St. Petersburg City Council member John Bryan thinks the city's prohibition on the sale of alcohol before 1 p.m. on Sundays is archaic. The origin of such regulations, called "blue laws," dates back to 17th century New England when the Puritans placed people in the stocks and whipped them on the public square for breaking rules on the Sabbath. St. Petersburg's ordinance is decades old.

Bryan is right -- it's time for a change. Modern St. Petersburg is a destination for visitors, who may wish to have a glass of wine with their Sunday brunch. Even resident football fans trying to buy a six-pack before the Bucs kickoff have to loiter near the grocery check-out line until the magic hour arrives.

"A lot of people come for brunch, and they sit and wait and wait to have a mimosa or a Bloody Mary," said Davio Kendall, manager of Fresco's Waterfront Bar & Grill. "It seems ridiculous in this day and age."

Besides, the council waives the restriction for events such as the Grand Prix auto race. It's more than a little hypocritical to say drinking before 1 p.m. is okay some Sundays but not others.

Not only does the city prohibit commercial establishments from selling, serving or dispensing alcohol before 1 p.m., it also bans the sale of packaged hard liquor all day. Most of Bryan's fellow council members agreed they should reconsider the ordinance. The city attorney's office is researching the council's legal authority to do so.

Some in the religious community have opposed a change to the blue laws, but such views are misguided in a diverse, sophisticated city. We've gotten rid of the stocks and public floggings. It's time for St. Petersburg's blue laws to pass into history, as well.

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